Frontal lobe? I’ll give you frontal lobe if you’re not careful!
The games industry comes out fighting following brain-drain games report
ELSPA, the European Leisure Software Publishers Association, has reacted angrily to a study carried out in Japan, claiming that videogames actively cause violent behaviour, anti-social tendencies and under-developed brains.
Carried out by Professor Ryuta Kawashima of the Tohoku University, the study compared two groups of teenagers. One group played an unnamed Nintendo game while the other group did simple arithmetic. It was claimed that videogames do not stimulate the frontal lobe of the brain, the section charged with repressing antisocial behaviour, violent and aggressive impulses and aiding memory, learning and balancing emotion.
'If you look beyond the sensational headlines, it is immediately clear that this new study proves no such thing… one of the less emphasised findings was that subsequent studies have also made the same 'discovery' about listening to music,” said Roger Bennett, director general of ELSPA. “Unsurprisingly there were no banner headlines in yesterday's newspapers claiming that Westlife are rotting the brains of a generation!''
Bennett goes on to say that "The result of this study is actually not that computer games damage the brain, but that half an hour of playing this one, particular title was less effective at developing the brain than doing half an hour of repetitive arithmetic."
We completely agree.
We will have an exclusive interview with the ELSPA head honchos in the next few days, in which we will discuss the various attacks on the industry that have cropped up in recent times, so stay tuned.
Carried out by Professor Ryuta Kawashima of the Tohoku University, the study compared two groups of teenagers. One group played an unnamed Nintendo game while the other group did simple arithmetic. It was claimed that videogames do not stimulate the frontal lobe of the brain, the section charged with repressing antisocial behaviour, violent and aggressive impulses and aiding memory, learning and balancing emotion.
'If you look beyond the sensational headlines, it is immediately clear that this new study proves no such thing… one of the less emphasised findings was that subsequent studies have also made the same 'discovery' about listening to music,” said Roger Bennett, director general of ELSPA. “Unsurprisingly there were no banner headlines in yesterday's newspapers claiming that Westlife are rotting the brains of a generation!''
Bennett goes on to say that "The result of this study is actually not that computer games damage the brain, but that half an hour of playing this one, particular title was less effective at developing the brain than doing half an hour of repetitive arithmetic."
We completely agree.
We will have an exclusive interview with the ELSPA head honchos in the next few days, in which we will discuss the various attacks on the industry that have cropped up in recent times, so stay tuned.
Companies:
ELSPA
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